Twisted
by deargoodbye
Summary: It's been over two years since the inception and Ariadne is a different person, but what happens when the past comes back to kick her in the face?  Will she survive or will she crumble?
1. Chapter One

A.N. As much as I love the fluffy Arthur/Ariadne stories, I had an idea for something different.

* * *

Ariadne never thought she'd take a job that would bring up the memories she'd fought so hard to keep hidden. She'd long since put the Fisher job behind her, even if she did still feel a twinge of guilt whenever it tended to pop itself up in her mind. The inception had been successful and she'd rejoiced at first because a lot of good things had come from that job. Cobb had finally been able to go home to his family, she'd created a reputation for herself with only one job completed, and she'd thought she'd met an amazing man through it. Then, of course, things had begun to change like they usually did in life and reality had set in. Cobb had moved on with his life and although they swapped the occasional e-mail she hadn't spoken to him since the end of the Fisher job. He'd walked in and out of her life so casually she couldn't help but feel a little offended at the time, but she'd gotten over it when she'd gotten a Christmas card of him and his kids. He deserved to be happy after so much sadness in his life, what kind of person would she be to fault him that happiness?

After returning to Paris, she hadn't been able to get her mind off of the kiss she'd shared with Arthur. She'd gone over it again and again in her head, dissecting every moment before and after that occurred between them. It had haunted her dreams for months as she finished school. Once they stepped off the plane, they'd had to pretend they knew nothing of each other so she hadn't had a chance to speak to Arthur or say anything to any of the others. She'd gotten on the next flight back to Paris and had thrown herself into her work. Although the work she did in her classes now seemed so generic and pointless since she knew what was out there, but she wasn't going to waist three and a half years of her life because she'd discovered something better. She'd get her degree and then take the first job that came along and that's exactly what she'd done.

Shortly after her graduation, she'd been out celebrating with a few of her friends when she'd run into Arthur and any thoughts she'd previously had about the man were quickly wiped from her mind. Her heart had stilled at the sight of him so obviously engrossed in another woman. A woman who was tall and leggy and blonde with obviously fake boobs and far too much make-up. She'd stood up, fighting to hold back her anger and quickly finished her drink before making an excuse to her friends for her need to leave. She wrapped her scarf around her neck and quickly pulled her jacket on before rushing to the exit. She'd sworn to herself she wouldn't cry about it. If those were the type of women Arthur was interested in then it was his business. It had been months since that stupid kiss and she refused to let herself dwell on it any longer.

Not to long after that she'd packed up her apartment and put everything into storage, deciding that having a permanent residence at the time wasn't in the cards for her. She'd received a call from Eames about a job and had decided to throw herself into the business of extraction to distract herself from the pain she was feeling at the utter rejection she'd felt at Arthur's hands. It wasn't long after she finished her first extraction that she read in the paper that Robert Fisher had sold off his company and she realized that the inception had been successful. At first she was elated but it wasn't long before guilt set in as she read more and more articles about Fisher's downward spiral after he dissolved the company. It seemed that he fell into a pit of despair, lost quite a bit of his fortune gambling, and was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Ariadne tried not to think about it too much but it was difficult to do all the time. She was happy when she stopped dreaming because her dreams had turned into nightmares surrounding Fisher. Slowly Ariadne hardened herself against such feelings and as the jobs continued to come in she traveled, never staying in the same place longer than it took to complete a job. She only worked with Eames twice after that first job, preferring to move from team to team to avoid attachments. Her reputation proceeded her so much so that she never had any trouble finding work. The next two years seemed to fly by until that fateful day when she accepted a job that would bring up every memory and thought she had forced from her mind. Peter Browning had hired her along with a team to extract something from Robert Fishers mind. The man was concerned for his godson and wanted to know what had led him down this path. She told herself she didn't know why she agreed to it but she knew it was purely out of guilt. She also knew that if anyone from the original team found out about her involvement she would be in a lot of trouble.

* * *

Ariadne stepped off the plane and glanced around the airport before making her way through customs and heading to pick up her luggage. She was aware of her surroundings at all times, it was one of the things she learned was necessary after she'd become too distracted after a job and nearly gotten herself killed. It didn't take long to locate her luggage. Once she did she exited the airport and stepped out onto the sidewalk of sunny Los Angeles.

After hailing a cab and telling him the hotel she'd gotten a reservation at she leaned back against the seat and sighed. Pulling her totem from her pocket she placed it on her knee and pushed it slightly, smiling when it toppled to the ground. Swooping down she picked it up and stuck it back in her pocket. She'd been doing that nearly every half hour for the last week, since she'd accepted this job.

She barely paid attention as they drove through the city until at last the taxi stopped in front of her hotel. Paying the cabbie, she stepped out pulling her luggage out with her. She walked into the building and up to the receptionist, "I have a reservation."

The man behind the desk glanced up at her, smiling as he took in her appearance. Although her style hadn't changed too much over the years it had grown with her. Today she was sporting a pair of black slacks and a red silk short sleeved top with a black scarf decorated with red flowers adorning her neck. Her hair fell in waves around her face and she wore black heels giving a few more inches to her height.

"Name?" He asked politely after his perusal of her appearance was complete.

"Arianna Maddox." She didn't offer him a smile, but then again her smiles became rarer and rarer over the years. It was as if once she lost her innocence and curiosity she'd lost the will to show any emotion at all other then a cold exterior. Once upon a time she'd wondered how Arthur could be so cold and withdrawn, but she found it was far easier to fall into an icy facade then to bother showing people any other sort of warm emotion.

"Ah, yes, Ms. Maddox. Here we are, room 528," He said as he handed her the key to her room. She blinked at him for a moment, trying to process what he'd just said. There was no way, she was staying in a room with that blasted number on it's door. He looked at her expectantly when she didn't take the key from his hand, "Miss?"

"I'd like a different room."

"I'm sorry?" He looked confused at her request.

Her features turned even colder and she set her purse on the counter, "I..want..a...different...room."

He frowned a bit at the tone of her voice, "We're fully booked. I'm sorry, ma'am."

Ariadne sighed and took the key, but not before sending one more glare in the mans direction. Taking a hold of her luggage and purse she walked towards the elevator and pressed the button to call the elevator to the ground floor. Once inside she pressed the button for the fifth floor and tapped her foot impatiently. Her hand itched to reach into her pocket and retrieve her totem but she knew she needed to wait until she was alone in her room. It felt like an eternity before the elevator opened it's doors again and she stepped out walking swiftly to her suite.

Once inside she dropped her purse and left her luggage by the door before pulling her totem out and setting it on the first available surface. When she pushed it and it tumbled to the floor she frowned. She didn't believe in coincidences and this was just too big of one. Pushing the thought away she walked to the door where she'd left her luggage and dragged it through the sitting room to the bedroom. Opening it, she pulled out a black cocktail dress and laid it out on the bed. Normally she didn't dress in such fancy clothes but she had a meeting tonight with Peter Browning where he would introduce her to the rest of the team and they were having dinner in one of the nicer restaurants in town.

Normally she would meet her team wherever they set up to work, but Browning had insisted on dinner. Walking to the bathroom, she toed off her shoes and undressed quickly before getting into the shower. Stepping under the hot water she sighed in bliss, a hot shower was a wonderful thing after a long plane ride. After a while she shut the water off and grabbed a towel. Quickly drying her body, she walked into the bedroom and grabbed the lotion from her bag before spreading it all over her body. Wringing her hair out she slipped into a pair of black silk panties and a black bra before going back to the bathroom. One of the things she hated about reality the most was that her hair was a struggle to do something nice with. It'd gotten better over the years but it still took at least a half hour.

After blow drying it, she curled he ends and wrapped it in a french twist, letting a few curls fall down to frame her face. Once that was finished she walked back out to the bedroom and pulled the dress on, zipping it up the side. Slipping into a pair of black heels before she sprayed herself with perfume and checked her watch. She still had a bit of time to kill so she decided to grab a drink at the bar in the hotel before getting a cab to the restaurant.

Grabbing her purse she put her room key in it and walked out of the bedroom into the sitting room. Without breaking stride she reached in her purse and grabbed the gun residing inside it and pulled it out pointing it at the chair in the far corner of the sitting room. She'd felt the presence before she'd seen him, but when her eyes landed on him she had to force herself not to shake, not to show any reaction at all.

He hadn't changed at all, still wearing three piece suits with slicked back hair and a posture that a king would envy. His hands were folded neatly in his lap and his legs were crossed as he stared at her. A slight smirk graced his lips and she could almost see a tinge of amusement in his eyes before it gave way to a condescending gaze. "We both know you aren't going to pull the trigger, Ariadne. Why don't you put the gun away?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him and sent him a smirk of her own as she clicked off the safety, "I'd prefer if you just left my room."

Slowly he unfolded himself from the chair and stood, causing her to cock the gun. "Hmm...little Ariadne's grown up?"

"Take one more step and you'll find out just how much."

He chuckled but she could hear the steely edge to it. "Put it away, Ariadne. I could have killed you or taken it by now if I wanted to."

"You still think so highly of yourself, Arthur. It's a wonder you fit through the door with a head as large as yours." She tilted her head to the side before pushing the hammer back into place on the gun and slipping the safety back on.

"You've been spending too much times with Eames I think." He took a few more steps forward, most likely expecting her to retreat but she didn't. She stood her ground and stared up at him defiantly. She wasn't the meek little girl who thought herself in love with the point man anymore. She knew better then to believe in love anymore and she wasn't going to let him bully her.

Ariadne slipped the gun back into her purse and closed it before turning her back on Arthur which she hoped would convey the message that she wasn't the least bit afraid of him. "I don't know what you're talking about. I have dinner plans so as much as I'd love to catch up with you, I have to go and you will not come back here. If you do I will put a bullet through your head."

She hadn't heard him move but she suddenly felt him behind her and it took all her will power not to melt back against him. Ariadne frowned and forced herself to straighten up, tossing a mocking look over her shoulder, "What do you want?"

Before she had a chance to react he'd pulled her against him and trapped her arms at her side by wrapping his own around her. "Well I don't want to have to kill you, Ariadne. If you don't leave this job alone, I will though."

He twisted her around and she stared up at him with a blank face, "I've no idea what job you're talking about."

The angry tint that lit up his eyes sent a little thrill through her body, it wasn't often she could evoke emotion from him. Of course it only lasted a moment before his face turned cold and his grip tightened on her arms. "You know better then to lie to me, little one."

Once again she just stared at him blankly and then a small smile crossed her lips, "Why are you really here, Arthur?"

"You know why, I don't know why you bother to continue to lie to me." He softened his hold on her and leaned down, brushing a light kiss along her jaw.

Her slight intake of breath was all he needed and he kissed her on the cheek before leaning close to her ear, "If you don't leave I'll be forced to do something I'd rather not."

Arthur released her and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him and leaving her feeling a mess. She had thought she was over him after all this time, but he swoops back into her life for five minutes and she already feels light headed. She had to grab a hold of the back of the sofa to hold herself up and she took a few deep breaths before regaining her composure. Brushing a piece of hair back from her face she shook her head slightly before standing tall and walking towards the door to go to dinner. The last person on this planet she was going to let intimidate her was Arthur.

* * *

A.N. So what do you think? Questions? Comments? Suggestions? I'm in desperate need of a beta if anyone is interested.


	2. Chapter Two

A.N. Thanks for the reviews! I'm excited about this story too so I hope everyone enjoys it but if anyone has any suggestions for me just let me know!

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Ariadne stepped out of the cab after paying him and looked up at the restaurant in front of her. She'd never really liked fancy places like this even though she had more then enough money to go to them on a regular basis. Ariadne preferred more secluded, smaller places where it was easier to keep track of everyone coming and going. With a sigh she walked forward and sent a small smirk to doorman as he held the door for her.

Once the maitre d' showed her to her table, she nodded slightly to the others at the table before focusing her attention on Peter Browning. He smiled at her before he began introductions, "Ariadne this is Paul Willis, George Thomas, and Hannah Mast."

Adriane studied each one individually and she could tell they were doing the same with her. After all they were going to be working together for at least the next several weeks. She knew no one at this table knew of her involvement with the inception that had caused Robert Fisher to dissolve his company and she planned on it staying that way. From the looks in their eyes she could tell they had all heard of her skills and obviously they didn't expect her to be so young. She was used to the reaction and wasn't fazed by it.

Paul was dark skinned and looked like he was only a few inches taller then Ariadne in her heels. A bright smile crossed his face when he noticed her studying him and she could tell that he was the extremely friendly type, perhaps a bit too friendly. Her gaze turned to George, who was studying her as though she were a puzzle and she figured he was the point man for the team. He looked as though he'd be very tall and he had lightly tanned skin and dark hair. The most notable thing about his appearance was the scar she could see running down the left side of his neck. Lastly, she eyed the other woman. It wasn't often she worked with women in this line of work but she usually didn't have any complaints about them. Hannah seemed to care deeply about her appearance, her face was perfectly done and every hair was in place on her head. She was pale with hair so blonde it almost looked white, she also seemed as though she was extremely tall. She gave Ariadne a friendly look before focusing back on Browning, causing Ariadne to do the same.

Once the introductions were done and Peter Browning realized he had everyone's attention he gave them a pompous grin and Ariadne knew immediately she wasn't going to enjoy working for this man. "Something drastic must have occurred to Robert for him to make such bad decisions. He usually has a much better head on his shoulder and I have the feeling someone did something to him. I want you to find out what and how to fix it."

There was a gleam in his eye that Ariadne didn't like but she chose to ignore it and instead focused on the menu for the moment, she could see the waitress coming over for their orders. She ordered a glass of wine and a Caesar salad because she wasn't quite sure she'd be able to stomach much more then that. When everyone finished ordering George turned to Peter and frowned slightly, "What makes you think it's something that can be fixed?"

Browning frowned tightly, "I know it can be."

His tone clearly showed that there was no room for argument and George merely scowled at him before turning to Hannah who was on his other side and lowering his voice to say something to her. She nodded slightly and then glanced around the room before shaking her head slightly. Browning looked between them, "What is it?"

George turned back to Peter and studied him for a moment before answering, "I thought I saw someone."

Ariadne's heart raced for a moment and she hoped to god Arthur hadn't followed her and wasn't planning on blowing her cover. If he did it was far more likely Browning would have someone kill her and then Arthur wouldn't have to lift a finger. She forced her face to remain blank and her eyes to give away nothing because she knew at least one of her teammates would be studying her at all times and she didn't want to give anything away. "How long do we have?"

She wanted to change the subject and make it seem like her only interest was the job. Peter turned to her and offered her a leering smile before answering, "Three weeks. I've already given all of the information to George, he can fill you in tomorrow on what will be needed when you start."

Ariadne ignored the look he sent her way and thanked the waitress when she returned with their drinks. Sipping her drink slowly, she studied each person as they spoke about nothing in particular. This dinner seemed incredibly pointless, she would have much rather met her co-workers the next day instead of wasting time on a dinner. Shortly after they finished eating and Browning paid the bill Ariadne excused herself to the ladies room, hoping the others would leave before she exited the bathroom.

Sighing, Ariadne studied herself in the mirror for a moment, trying to push away the thoughts that had been running through her mind since Arthur made his presence known. She had tried so hard to forget him and to put him behind her, but she supposed she was asking for it accepting this job. Part of her had known there was a possibility someone from the original team would find out. She couldn't help but wonder if subconsciously she'd wanted Arthur to find out, but she immediately brushed that thought off. There was no way in hell that any part of her would want Arthur to come back into her life. Things had ended so badly between them and she'd felt so broken she didn't need that again.

Just as Ariadne dried her hands off, Hannah walked into the bathroom and offered her a polite smile. "Everyone's left but George wanted me to give the address of where we'll be meeting."

Hannah pulled a business card from her purse and held it out to Ariadne. Her name and phone number were on the front and a place and time were scrawled across the back. Ariadne nodded her thanks and placed the card into her own purse before snapping it shut. "I've heard some amazing things about your work."

Ariadne was used to the praise and the questions about her work. Since she'd begun in this business she'd been told time and again that she was in a league of her own and she offered Hannah a rare smile, but it wasn't a real one. "Thank you, I'm happy to be working with you on this project."

She knew it sounded rehearsed and that's probably because it was the same answer she gave to most of the people she worked with. Hannah laughed and shook her head, "You're much more aloof then they say."

At a loss for words, Ariadne merely raised an eyebrow at Hannah and shrugged slightly. "I should get going, I'll see you tomorrow."

Hannah waved her hand daintily and smiled once more at Ariadne as she left the bathroom and exited the restaurant. She tried for a few moments to hail a cab but it seemed to be a moot point, so with a sigh she turned and started walking in the direction of her hotel. Luckily it wasn't that far of a walk and it wasn't too late yet so Ariadne wasn't too concerned about walking the streets of Los Angeles. After a few blocks, Ariadne felt as though the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up and she straightened up, walking faster.

After making a quick left Ariadne ducked into an entry way to keep herself hidden from the view of whoever was following her and pulled out her gun. She hadn't expected Arthur to turn and lean against the entryway right next to where she was standing. Rolling her eyes slightly, Ariadne tucked the gun back into her purse and stared up at Arthur's closed off face with a look of resignation in her eye. She should have known he'd follow her, she should have waited to catch a cab but she'd let her thoughts get the better of her and now she is in a vulnerable position because of it.

He studied her silently for a moment before taking a step forward and boxing her in against the wall, one hand placed carefully on either side of her head. "I told you not to continue with this. You're putting us all in danger, not just me but Cobb and Eames, even Yusuf. Are you trying to get all of us killed?"

Ariadne stared up at Arthur and couldn't resist letting a mocking smile fall into place on her face, "What makes you think any of this is about you or them?"

"What? Do you suddenly have a guilty conscious about what you did?" He returned with a mocking look of his own.

"Hardly." Ariadne may have felt twinges of guilt over what had become of Fisher but she certainly hadn't taken the job because of that. She'd had her own reasons and even though she was cursing herself for them now she knew they were good ones and she wasn't going to explain herself to Arthur of all people.

He stared at her and his features softened for just a moment as he moved his right hand to cup Ariadne's face in it. At first his hand was gentle but slowly he started to squeeze Ariadne's face between his fingers and he moved his own face down so that he was nose to nose with her. "Leave LA before you get in even more over your head then you already are."

Ariadne fought the urge to knee him and instead returned his stare with a cold look on her face. "Stop pretending you know anything about the situation I'm in."

"What are you trying to prove?"

"Funny, I was just going to ask you the same thing." Ariadne narrowed her gaze and a scowl crossed her face, "If you don't remove you're hand from my face you will regret it."

Arthur squeezed her face even tighter for a moment before stepping back and dropping his arms to his side. "Don't threaten me, Ariadne. I usually wouldn't hit a woman but you're pressing all the right buttons to push me to it."

Ariadne laughed mockingly up at him, "Oh, Arthur, am I getting under your skin? And here I thought you were utterly unflappable."

Stepping away from the stoop he turned away from her and began walking in the direction they'd come from. Ariadne followed him and grabbed his arm to stop him causing him to turn and look down at her. "If you continue to follow me Arthur you'll be forcing me to do something I wouldn't regret."

Arthur laughed and pulled her hand away from his arm, "Don't threaten me, little one. You're really not any good at it." That said he turned and continued walking, leaving Ariadne to glare at his back. She hated that he got the last word in but she refused to lower herself into showing him more emotion then she already had.


	3. Chapter Three

A.N. Once again thank you for you're reviews! I'm so excited about this story and I'm planning on having a flashback in this chapter to begin to explain what caused the tension between Arthur and Ariadne. Also, to answer LithiumGahan's question the story will end with Arthur and Ariadne together. That isn't going to be for awhile though, I don't see them jumping into each others arms anytime soon but down the road they will. And on with my story…!

Also, I forgot in previous chapters but I obviously do not own Inception or any of the characters from the movie. All characters you don't recognize are of my own creation.

* * *

Ariadne didn't bother trying to sleep once she got back to her hotel room. Instead she took out her sketchpad and began working on some new drawings. It usually helped calm her, but instead she just ended up more frustrated then when she started. After an hour she gave up and tossed the sketchpad on the other side of the couch in the sitting room. Standing up she stretched for a moment and grabbed her discarded heels before walking into the bedroom to change. Pulling on her pajamas she stood by the window and stared out into the night. She couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting back to the night when Arthur had broken not only her heart but her spirit.

* * *

_Ariadne had rushed from the bar she'd been celebrating her graduation at with her friends once she'd noticed Arthur and his lady friend. Once outside she leaned against the building and took several deep breaths trying to blink back the tears she knew were coming. After a few moments she composed herself and stood up straight, turning to begin walking back to her flat._

_She stopped short when she saw Arthur standing there, studying her silently. Her eyes widened and she took a deep breath as she stared up into his blank face. He reached out and wiped away a tear that had managed to escape and run down her cheek. His hand felt like a caress and she couldn't help but lean into it for a moment before remembering what had brought her out here in the first place causing her to jerk away from him._

_He looked faintly surprised at her reaction but still said nothing. They stared at each other for a few moments before Ariadne finally couldn't stand it any longer and took a step away from him before speaking. "What are you doing in Paris?"_

_Arthur's face formed a tight frown and was devoid of any emotion as he spoke. He could sense that something was wrong with her but he wasn't going to ask her about it. "Just doing a bit of traveling."_

_The moment the words left his mouth he could tell that somehow it wasn't what she'd been expecting to hear. At first he was confused wondering what she expected to hear and then he laughed as it dawned on him. "Sorry little one, I didn't come for you."_

_Ariadne visibly recoiled at his words and the tone of his voice. He was speaking as though he were talking to a child and it was absolutely crushing. "Then why did you follow me out here?"_

_Although Arthur had followed her out of the bar he wasn't going to tell her and instead he smirked. "I was actually just getting a bit of air when I noticed you."_

_As much as Ariadne tried not show a reaction, Arthur could almost visibly see her deflate just a bit and he felt a twinge of guilt but he pushed it down. He wasn't willing to get anymore attached to Ariadne then he already was and he didn't want her getting any romantic notions about him. His priorities were simple and they circled around himself and his job. He'd let his emotions cloud his judgments for a split second and he'd been kicking himself in the ass since he'd done it._

_Ariadne turned her back towards Arthur, unable to stop a few more tears from falling down her face. It was as though she didn't matter one iota to him and it was depressing considering how much she'd thought about him and that stupid kiss since she'd come back to Paris. She'd never felt more naïve then she did at this moment. Even though she was going to leave her curiosity got the better of her one last time and she turned to look at Arthur. "Why did you kiss me?"_

_It was a question he'd been dreading, but he'd already formulated an answer in case she brought it up. He offered her a nonchalant shrug, "Just curious to see if it would work and you would do it."_

_She gasped and her anger got the better of her causing her to close the gap between them and raise her hand to smack him soundly across the face. "You…you…"_

_He laughed, causing her to raise her hand again but he grabbed it before it could reach his face. "I wouldn't do that again if I were you, little one. Were you expecting a different answer?"_

_Her lower lip trembled and she tried pulling her hand free from his hold but he wouldn't let her go and he instead wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his body. He lowered his head and placed a bruising kiss on her lips before releasing her and smirking down at her. "Was that what you wanted me to do?"_

_Ariadne spluttered but was at a loss for words because her lips were positively tingling even though the kiss had been brutal. Arthur stared down at her for a moment, "If you want you could come back to my hotel with me."_

_She couldn't fight the blush that covered her entire face at his explicit offer but she also had butterflies in her stomach and she knew that deep down she wanted to go back with him. This side of Arthur both frightened and turned her on. She knew she'd wind up getting hurt but a large part of her wanted to believe that he was just joking and he didn't mean the horrible things he'd said._

_

* * *

_

Ariadne snapped out of her reverie and forced herself to stop thinking about Arthur. She turned to glance at her clock and saw it was nearly two in the morning. She knew she should lay down and at least try to sleep so that she wouldn't be exhausted her first day on the job. As she laid down her last thought was of how amazing he still smelled and how after all this time she could remember exactly what he smelled like, mint and rain.

The next day Ariadne woke up later then expected and decided to forgo a shower so that she could get to work on time. Fixing her hair quickly, she pulled on a pair of grey slacks and a black short sleeved top before grabbing her black heels and pulling them on as she walked to the door. She picked up both her purse and her room key before exiting the hotel and hailing a cab to take her to the address on the back of the business card Hannah had given her the previous night.

When they pulled up, she paid the cabbie and stepped out. She was used to working out of warehouses so it was no surprise to find she'd be doing it again. Walking to the door she pushed it open and climbed the stairs, following the voices she heard from above her. As she came upon the others they all looked up and offered her small smiles, save George. He stood and walked over, "Good morning, Ariadne. I trust you slept well."

"Yes, thank you. Is that for me?" She pointed to the folder in his hand and he nodded before handing it to her.

"It has all the information you need to start planning the dreams. We're going to do two levels, I hear you're good at multiple levels."

Ariadne nodded and opened the folder, flipping through the information. "This shouldn't be difficult at all. I should have the first level completed within the next couple of days."

George seemed surprised, but happily so and smiled. "That'd be amazing. I figured you wouldn't bring all of your supplies with you so I took the liberty of having some things delivered."

He pointed over her shoulder to her work area and she offered him a rare smile, "Thank you. I'll get started."

George walked back to the other two as she headed towards her work desk and set her belongings down. She finished the file, only needing to skim it because she knew most of this information already. Plus most of it didn't pertain to her job, she just needed to know what sort of things each level needed so that she could begin working.

A few hours went by before Ariadne even looked up from the work in front of her. When she did though she noticed a familiar cramp creeping up the back of her neck and she set her pencil down as she rolled her neck from side to side. Hannah must have noticed her looking up and decided to walk over. "Hey, how's it going so far?"

Ariadne watched Hannah as she approached, "Right on schedule. It shouldn't take me more then a week to have both levels completed."

Hannah studied what she'd done so far, which was basically trust sketch up the first level. She was going to refine it and then begin the model the next day. After a few moments Hannah looked up and studied Ariadne. "I've heard amazing things about you but this is even better then I could have thought."

"Thank you," Ariadne said softly, used to the praise and pretty much immune to it by this point. "I'm going to go get some lunch, I should be back soon."

Ariadne stood and gathered her belongings, she was walking towards the door when she saw Hannah out of the corner of her eye walking towards her again. Pausing, she turned and waited for Hannah to get to her. "Do you want some company?"

Biting back a sigh, Ariadne shrugged. "You can come if you'd like."

She knew her voice wasn't particularly welcoming but Hannah followed her out anyway. Ariadne was used to at least one team member tailing her for a few days whenever she worked with a new team. It didn't pay to be overly trustworthy in this line of work. That was the quickest way to end up dead.

Ariadne walked in silence, staring straight ahead and ignoring the girl next to her who wasn't bothering to hide the fact that she was staring at Ariadne. "How long have you been in the business?"

"Long enough," She knew it wouldn't take long for Hannah to get the clue that she didn't share her personal life or past with anyone. Whatever they found in public records would just have to be enough. Which wouldn't be much after she graduated because she'd set up several fake aliases and used them during all of her off time from work.

"You're awfully polite but incredibly unfriendly, has anyone ever told you that before?"

Ariadne spared Hannah an exasperated look, "Once or twice."

"I think you'll get along famously with George." Hannah smiled brightly at Ariadne and Ariadne didn't like the look in her eyes. She had a feeling that whatever this girl had up her sleeve it was going to be incredibly annoying.

"Is that so?" She asked mildly while ignoring her gut feeling that she was walking into a trap with the question.

Hannah smirked, "Oh yes."

With that both Hannah and Ariadne fell into a comfortable silence and continued walking to a deli about five blocks away. The journey back was also spent in silence and Ariadne knew Hannah had to be up to something. Although she hadn't known the girl long she could tell she wasn't someone who was comfortable with silence. That afternoon was a busy one and before Ariadne knew it was half past eight and the sun was beginning to dip. Packing up her belongings, Ariadne walked a few blocks before managing to hail a cab to take back to her hotel.


	4. Chapter Four

A.N. Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

LithiumGahan ~ Thank you! Glad to have a number one fan ;)

Katherine Moon hawk ~ I'm glad you feel that way because that's what I'm going for! I'm going to continue to expand on their past as the story goes on but it'll be bit by bit.

Liveurlife011 ~ Sorry you don't like my depiction of Arthur. He has reasons for being the way he is and they will be explained at a later date. Thanks for the opinion though.

NA ~ Thanks, I really enjoy writing him this way. Hope you continue to read!

Sorry for the shortness of the chapter and for the length between the last one and this one. I promise to update with a longer chapter soon. Possibly even tomorrow.

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Arthur lowered the binoculars in his hand with a sigh. Of course, she hadn't heeded his warning, what reason did she have to listen to him? He rubbed his eyes with his free hand before placing the binoculars in a bag at his side. Hefting the bag up he made his descent through the warehouse that was a few down from where Ariadne was working.

It was time for him to contact the others and see what they thought should be done. He couldn't find a reason for Ariadne's behavior. It was obvious that she was putting them all in danger and he couldn't stand for that.

Leaving the warehouse he walked to his car, a black Jaguar XKR and opened the trunk before putting the bag inside. Once the trunk was closed he got into the car and started it, heading back towards his hotel which was the same one Ariadne was staying in. He'd figured it would be the easiest way to keep track of her and now that she was gone for the day he could snoop through her belongings.

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By the time Ariadne finished working that night it was dark out and all of the others had already left. She knew that she'd need to rent a car for the rest of her time here unless she wanted to be wondering around trying to hail a taxi late at night. Pulling the gun out of her purse she tucked into her waistband before pulling on a jacket she'd brought with her. Once she was ready to go she locked up with the spare key George had given her earlier and started her walk back towards the more populated part of the city so she could catch a cab.

She was thankful she didn't encounter any problems on her way back to the hotel, but she didn't let her guard down until she checked her rooms at her hotel. She'd need to change hotels as soon as possible, but she was too exhausted to bother tonight. Arthur would probably follow her wherever she went anyway, he had an annoying habit of knowing far too much about her. Thankfully she'd thought ahead of time to set up an identity that no one from the original inception knew about.

After she took her clothes off, she walked to the mini-bar and pulled out a couple of single shots of tequila. She knew she was going to need some sleep tonight but she also knew she wouldn't get any without a little alcoholic help. Opening the first bottle she finished it one swallow before depositing it in the trash. Walking towards the bedroom with two other bottles in her hand, she paused to grab her gun out of her purse before shutting the door behind her and slipping the gun under her pillow.

Collapsing on the bed, she stared at the ceiling and wondered, not for the first time, if she was making a horrible mistake like Arthur was insisting. He didn't know everything she'd considered before taking this job and she just wasn't willing to share it with him. She'd wanted to share things with him before but he'd proven to her that he wasn't worth the time or the effort.

* * *

_At first, Ariadne had almost considered taking him up on his offer. She'd been wondering since the inception what sort of man he was in bed, but reality crashed down around her quickly enough. Shoving her hands against Arthur's chest she tried to shove him away but it was no use, he wouldn't let go of her. His laugh riled up her anger though and she lifted her fit before slamming the heel of her shoe down on top of his. _

_He grunted and his hold on her eased up enough so that she could slip out of his grasp. She saw a flash of pain before his calm and poised mask was back in place and he was simply staring at her. "You're a pig! You're no better then Eames, in fact, you're worse." _

_Feeling brave she stepped forward and shoved a finger against his chest, "You play a gentleman when really you're a conniving little snake, lying in wait."_

_With that she smoothed her shirt down and tugged her hair behind her ear. Giving him one last scornful look, she turned and began walking back to her apartment. She would never forgive him for his insinuation. She had thought he was better then that, but she was wrong. She was barely five blocks away from the bar when a sleek black Jaguar pulled up next to her and the window rolled down. _

_"Get in, Ariadne." _

_She looked at him in disbelief. Did he honestly think she was going to get into a car with him after what he'd just done to her. He leaned over the passenger seat and she got a clearer look at his face. He looked remorseful but then again it could all be an act. He'd fooled her for long enough, "Fuck off."_

_Ariadne figured he'd be done with her at that point, but instead she heard him throw the car into park and his door start to open. She didn't think she could handle another confrontation with him, especially since her blood was still running hot. Turning she took off down a nearby alley, not bothering to pay attention to where she was going just desperately wanting to get away from Arthur._

_She could hear his shoes pounding on the pavement not to far from her and she put one last burst of speed into her step but it wasn't enough and before she could turn into an alley that led back out to the main road he had her in his arms for the second time that night. He pulled her against him, her back to his chest and she could feel his heartbeat racing, his breath coming out in little pants. _

_"I'm sorry, I don't know why I said those things."_

_Ariadne turned in his arms and studied him for a moment, her face closing up to him. "Sure you do, you never do anything without a reason. Cool, collected stick in the mud Arthur wouldn't do anything he didn't want to do." _

_She knew her words would provoke him and maybe that's what she wanted to do. Usually getting any sort of reaction from Arthur was an accomplishment and she wanted to piss him off right now. She could tell by his eyes that she'd done just that and she swallowed a bit regretting her actions as he backed her into a wall. "You don't know anything about me, little girl."_

_"I know enough to piss you off, now don't I?"_

_He stared at her silently for a moment before bringing his mouth crashing down onto hers. This kiss was rough but nowhere near as rough as the one they'd shared earlier that night. She was surprised at first, but when her senses came back she bit down on his lip, hard. He pulled back, even angrier then before but before he could say another word she smacked him and then wrapped her arms around his neck, hauling herself up to kiss him. _

_Arthur seemed taken off guard and she couldn't help but mentally congratulate herself for accomplishing that. It didn't take but a second for him to begin returning the kiss and wrap his own arms around her waist, pushing her back against the alleyway wall. When they both needed air, he moved his lips from hers to explore her neck. He nibbled a bit on her earlobe and her breathy sigh in his ear was all the encouragement he needed to run his hand up her thigh and under her skirt. When his hand touched bare skin it was like a bucket of cold water for Ariadne, but she was torn on what to do._

_

* * *

_Ariadne snapped out of her reverie and sighed as she opened the second bottle of tequila and drank it down. She hadn't thought about his kisses in ages, but seeing him just brought back everything she'd buried. Part of her wanted to kill him and the other part of her wanted to devour him. She didn't know which part scared her more, but what she did know was that she couldn't keep thinking about these moments in her past.

They would tear her apart here in the future. Picking up her totem, she rolled it around in her hands before setting it on the nightstand and tipping it over. It rolled onto the floor before she picked it up and tucked it into one of the drawers. Collapsing back onto her pillows, she didn't bother to turn down the bed as she passed out the last bottle of tequila forgotten beside her and her hand gripping the gun under her pillow.

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**A.N. PLEASE NOTE - I just saw a review about the tequila bottles, they're from the minibar so they're about the size of a shot. Not an actual bottle...lol I don't want to kill Ariadne. ;)**


	5. Chapter Five

**A.N. Thank you for all of the reviews, they are greatly appreciated! No flashbacks this chapter which I'm understanding is going to be a good thing and a bad thing depending on the reviewer. I want to get more into the job this chapter and next so Arthur will be absent for most of both. Sorry, I know Arthur is beloved by all lol including myself. After that, hopefully he'll be a more major part to the story.**

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**Ariadne woke the next morning with a slight headache and groaned when she remembered the tequila she'd drank the night before. She'd only drank the equivalent of about three shots, but she'd always been a lightweight and tequila had never settled well with her. Frowning, she climbed off of the bed, still gripping her gun before setting it down on the nightstand.

Grabbing a couple of Tylenol from her purse, she walked into the bathroom and quickly filled a paper cup with some water before swallowing them. She brushed her teeth before stepping into the shower and getting ready for the day.

Half an hour later she was dressed in a navy and white floral print skirt, a white halter top, and navy pumps. Quickly moving around the hotel she packed her belongings and left them by the door. Before she switched hotels, she'd need to rent a car. Plus she figured she'd wait until her work was done for the day to check into a new place. Even with her new identity that she'd set up before this job she didn't want to take any chances.

She figured the best way to avoid another confrontation with Arthur was to give him no foreseeable chance to find her while she was unawares. Whether that meant switching hotels every night or just staying places she hoped he'd never think to look she was willing to do it. She didn't think she could handle another Arthur confrontation, too many memories had already begun to pop into her head and she didn't want to remember anymore.

After asking one of the staff where the nearest car rental was, she walked there and rented a black nondescript ford. Once that was completed she went back to her hotel, gathered her belongings and checked out. She felt as if a small weight had been lifted off of her shoulders since she'd accomplished those things.

Making her way to the warehouse, she parked around back before gathering her things and heading for the entrance. She was actually pretty excited about the day, because she'd be going under with the others to show them what she had created for the first level. She still had a few things to work out but they should be under within an hour.

It always boosted her ego the first time she went under with a new team and they understood what all the hype about her was for. Ariadne wasn't usually a pompous person but she liked to show off her skills and accomplishments. She never thought there was any fault for that because she was good at her job and she should be proud of what she's capable of.

She said hello to the others and made a beeline for her desk, pulling out the blueprints she'd nearly finished. She spent the next hour working on them and her 3D designs for the first level. Once she felt they were up to her standards, she headed towards George to let him know she was ready for a practice run.

"George?" She said his name quietly because he seemed to be staring intently at his screen.

He looked up, his face impassive as he waited for her to continue. "I'm ready for a practice run on the first level."

His eyes showed a bit of surprise that she was ready so quickly but he shrugged after a moment and stood, calling for both Paul and Hannah to go over to the PASIV machine which was surrounded by four lawn chairs. Paul smiled and put his arm around Ariadne's shoulders in a friendly way as they walked over. "You really are a genius architect, aren't you?"

Ariadne shrugged his arm off of her shoulders and offered him a small smirk, "I suppose so."

She sat down in one of the lawn chairs and waited for George to hook her up to the PASIV before lying back and closing her eyes. When she opened them again, they were in downtown Los Angeles staring up at the hotel that Browning had said Fisher was occupying. The streets around them were empty as they walked into the hotel.

Ariadne pointed towards the bar where they had decided the initial interaction with Fisher would take place. The details were incredible and Ariadne knew that the team was impressed by the looks on their faces. If they thought this was good, she couldn't wait to show them what she had planned for the second level. Ariadne wondered off as the team began to layout the plan. She would talk with Hannah later about the layout and the details so that the first level would go off without a hitch. Right now though, she just wanted to enjoy her time in the dream world.

Footsteps interrupted her train of thought and she turned her head to see George approaching, a genuine smile in place on his face. As he came to stand next to her, he tucked his hands into his pockets. "I'm glad you live up to the hype. It's rare to find an architect with you're kind of talent, have you thought about joining a team permanently?"

Ariadne felt a twinge of guilt at his question. She was used to offers from teams and normally she turned them down outright, but Ariadne had taken this job with ulterior motives and she wasn't happy that she had to lie to her fellow teammates. It was a necessary evil though and one she would have to come to terms with if she hoped to make it through to the end of this job.

"I have, but not anytime soon." She said it softly, not wanting to offend George. If she was going to take up a permanent residence with a team it wouldn't be one that she had deceived.

George nodded, "I understand. If you ever do decide to join a team permanently, I would love to have you."

Ariadne offered him a small smile as the structures around them began to collapse. She closed her eyes once more and when she opened them the warehouse surrounded her. Removing the needle from her arm, she handed it to George and stood up. It was still early, but she'd finished her work for the day so she decided to take off. Saying her goodbyes to the others, she walked out to her rental and started the car.

Before leaving her parking spot, she looked down at her lap and took a deep breath. She needed to get her emotions in check, at least for a few more weeks. She was hoping her plan would go off without a hitch but she wasn't going to stick around to make sure. Browning was far too powerful, even with Fishers company having been split up. If he found out what she'd done then she would be a corpse waiting to happen.

After a few moments, Ariadne pulled out from her parking spot and headed towards Hollywood Park. It was one of the few places in LA that she knew how to get to without getting lost. When she was younger her grandfather had taken her here and it turned into one of her favorite places she'd ever visited.

Parking her car, she got out and began walking away lost in her thoughts. She knew she was doing the right thing, she'd thought about it long and hard before she'd taken the job. When the offer had come in and she'd found out the target was Robert Fisher she'd known she couldn't risk the extraction being successful. She couldn't risk them finding out about what had been done, but part of her also wanted to help Fisher out. So she'd begun to formulate a plan that she hoped would work. It would have to go off without a problem and it would also need a lot of luck to come to fruition.

Part of her was scared out of her mind, but another part of her was completely at ease with this. She wanted to help counteract some of the negative effects of the original Fisher job, but she couldn't afford for everything to come to light. That would put far too many people at risk, people who were her friends, people she cared about.

After a few moments of going over the details in her mind, she forced herself to stop thinking about it. She had everything set up and she just had to pray that everything would work out. Glancing around, she smiled at the beauty of the park that surrounded her and lost herself in it for awhile. It turned dark without her even realizing so she made her way back to her car. She had to find a place to stay for the night.

It didn't take long to come across a shabby looking motel and rent a room for the night. Getting her stuff out of the car, she quickly changed and climbed into bed. She had an extremely long day tomorrow at work, but before she fell asleep Arthur's image flitted through her mind and a small smile tugged at her lips. She'd outsmarted him for once and she wondered if he realized it yet.


	6. Chapter Six

**A.N. So sorry about the lack of updating. I've hit a huge writers block with the story but I'm past it hopefully! I hope I haven't lost anyone who was really interested in the story because of a lack of updating. Anyway, thank you to all of my reviewers, here's the next chapter. This one's a bit short but I'm hoping the next one will make up for that. Tell me what you think!**

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Ariadne didn't sleep much that night, she needed to finalize her plans and run through exactly what she was going to do to keep this from being a successful extraction. It all seemed to be coming together with the levels, now she just needed to continue to throw the team off of her scent and she would be out of the country before they even knew what had happened.

When Ariadne had gotten the offer for the job she knew she should turn it down, but it seemed to be a bigger risk because then it would be possible for them to find out about the inception. If they found out about that it would only be a matter of time before it was traced back to her former teammates and herself and although she'd closed off most of her emotions, it would be to heartbreaking to let that happen. Even if it meant that the team would think she'd betrayed them.

So Ariadne had taken that time to formulate a plan and once she'd figured it out, she'd called Browning back and had let him know that she would take the job. It was a fairly simple plan but because of that she was sure it would succeed. No one knew that it was possible to go three levels deep except for the original inception team, so she knew she would have to make those two levels perfect for Fisher's subconscious to pick up on everything she wanted it too.

The first level had been easy to construct, she'd taken what she'd found at the hotel Fisher was staying at and added a few nuances from the original inception hotel. His subconscious should pick up on it easily enough and that would bring the full force of his security down on the extraction teams head. It helped that she'd been able to set up the hotel rooms the exact same way as another tip off to his subconscious in case the bar didn't do the trick.

She wasn't worried about the team being injured because this job had only minimal risk, if you died in the dream you woke up like any normal extraction. They didn't plan on dying though, they were setting up the kicks. Now she just had to talk to Hannah about using an explosion between the two hotel rooms for the kick. It should be easy enough to point out how convenient it would be and it wouldn't set off any alarms because it was used enough in their line of work.

The next level was going to be tricky, though. If they did manage to get Fisher down to another level, his subconscious would be all to aware of the fact that it was dreaming. She couldn't risk using the fortress they'd used in the original inception because it might help convince Fisher that the team was on his side trying to help him like her team had done in the beginning. So she'd decided to use the first level of the original inception, making enough changes so that it wouldn't immediately be recognized by Fisher's subconscious.

Once there, she was hoping that the team would end up cornered in a warehouse before they made it to the bank where Fisher's vault would be held. If they did happen to make it to the vault though she'd added an extra precaution. When they opened the vault all they would find is an empty hospital bed with an empty safe next to it. The actual safe was going to be across town, in a different bank and she knew it'd be impossible for them to get there in time.

The team would, of course, knew that she'd double-crossed them but if everything went according to plan she wouldn't only be out of the country she'd be well into hiding by then. She wouldn't only be hiding from them and from Browning but from Saito and Arthur as well. She knew that by then Author would have no choice but to inform Saito of her betrayal and then they'd both be after her.

It was exhausting to think about everything she was going through to protect Cobb, his family, Eames, Yusuf, Saito, and even Arthur, but it was worth it because without them she wouldn't even be living in the world she currently lived in. It also helped that aside from Arthur, she had nothing but love for her former teammates and she knew she had to do this to protect them. She continued going over the details in her head of her plan, praying that everything would work out accordingly otherwise this was all for nothing.

With a sigh, she turned over in her bed and shut her eyes trying desperately to get some sort of sleep before she had to go back to the warehouse. The little sleep she did get didn't help to sooth her nervousness but she pushed that emotion away as she got ready for the day. She showered and dressed in a pair of grey slacks with a black sleeveless top and curled her hair slightly before adding a little color to the outfit with a green silk scarf. She packed up her belonging before putting on a pair of black heels and putting her luggage into her car. Once she'd checked out of the dingy motel she drove to work.

She was surprised that she was the second one at the warehouse, but decided not to comment on the fact as she said good morning to George and headed to her work station. She began working on the second level and was left to her own devices for most of the next hour.

She didn't notice George had wondered over until he was peering over her shoulder. Her back stiffened at his proximity but that was the only outward sign she gave to him being there. "A cityscape? Interesting," He spoke softly as he studied her designs.

"Yes I figured it would be easiest to navigate to a bank once inside and that's where the vault will be kept."

George nodded and she turned her head to study him slightly, he was a handsome man indeed but she didn't want to get caught up in a relationship with a man she was planning on double-crossing. When he realized she was staring he turned and gave her a friendly smile of his own. "Hannah seems to think I should ask you to dinner."

Ariadne swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry, "Oh?"

"Yes, although it would be inappropriate for me to do so I find myself inexplicably drawn to you." He gave a small shrug as though he were telling her it was supposed to rain later. "I think that has to do with the fact that once you started in this business any sort of paper trail you had disappeared and anything I know of you is all hearsay."

"Well if it helps you decide, I don't date coworkers." Ariadne frowned, thinking about the fact that he was a little to much like Arthur and she couldn't let herself be drawn to another man like that.

George laughed a bit at her words, "I figured, but I thought I'd bring it up in case you weren't so inclined."

With that, he turned and walked back to his desk leaving her to her thoughts which were once again lingering on a different point man. Would she never get him out of her head?

She turned back to her work, hoping that would help stop her from thinking dangerous things but it did nothing and she found herself sketching the Penrose stairs. Frowning, she crumpled the paper up and threw it into the trash. She had to force herself to continue to work on the layout for the dream and not to think about Arthur. Of course, that was easier said then done and she found that the rest of the day dragged on.


	7. Chapter Seven

A.N. I know, two chapters in less then 24 hours, I'm on a roll. Hopefully it continues this way. Thank you for the people who reviewed tonight, hopefully you enjoy this chapter since it is quite a bit longer. Please review and let me know what you think! Hope you enjoy.

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As the day wound down, Ariadne packed up her belongings and nodded a goodnight to the rest of the team. As she was walking towards the door, Hannah fell into step beside her. Ariadne glanced at her out of the corner of her eye but said nothing until they had cleared the warehouse, "Yes?"

Hannah grabbed her arm to stop her from walking any further and glanced down at her angrily. "Why did you say you weren't interested in seeing George? He's a good guy and I've never seen him so interested in a woman before."

Ariadne sighed a bit and pulled her arm from Hannah's grasp, "I don't date coworkers."

With a frown, Hannah crossed her arms. "That's a bullshit excuse."

Narrowing her eyes, Ariadne turned and began walking again only for Hannah to continue to walk beside her. "What is it then? Seeing someone? Lesbian?"

Ariadne nearly let at a growl at the woman's persistence but bit it back, she didn't want to make enemies of her coworkers before she even finished with her plan. "No, on both counts."

She knew the tone of her voice had given her away and she didn't have to look at Hannah to know the woman was shooting her a sympathetic look. "Who was it then? The guy who broke your heart."

"It would take a mass amount of alcohol for me to talk about that." She stated, her eyes darting back just in time to see Hannah's face light up.

"Good thing I brought my purse then, girls night out it is."

Before Ariadne could refuse her, the woman had wrapped her arm around Ariadne's shoulders and was leading her towards her car. "I know the perfect spot."

After they arrived at the classy bar and sat at a table, Hannah ordered them both martini's and turned to look at Ariadne expectantly. "So what was his name?"

Ariadne shifted, uncomfortably, she hadn't told anyone about Arthur and she didn't think now would be the proper time to open up. Especially if it could be used against her once this was all over. Then again if she just switched his profession and his name, the odds of anyone making the connection were slim to nil.

"Mark," She said slowly so she could memorize the name and not mess it up later once she'd had a few drinks.

Hannah nodded and Ariadne figured she knew what she was doing but she didn't object to not being told the complete truth so it didn't set Ariadne on edge, at least not yet. Once their drinks were brought over, Ariadne took a sip and studied Hannah. "Why are you so interested anyway?"

Hannah gave her a cheeky smile and shrugged slightly, "It's not often I get the chance to have girl talk with someone."

A little twinge of guilt built in Ariadne's stomach but she refused to acknowledge it and instead nodded, "I know what you mean. You're only the second woman I've ever worked with."

"Yes, well I've been working with Paul and George for years. We recently lost our architect after a job…" Hannah trailed off and Ariadne could immediately tell it was a sore subject. She wondered if the two had had a relationship but decided not to press. It had been a long time since her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she wasn't about to begin letting it now. The less she knew about these people, the better.

Hannah shook her head and turned her attention back to Ariadne, "Enough of that, tell me more about this…Mark."

The way she said it and slight smirk on her face confirmed Ariadne's suspicions that Hannah knew it wasn't his real name. "We met in Paris. I suppose I mistook the relationship for more then what it was."

Ariadne shrugged and Hannah gave her yet another sympathetic look, "Don't be too sure about that one, love."

Ariadne shot her a questioning look, "What do you mean?"

"Well, judging by the fact that you don't want to give away too many details I'd say he works in the business and people in our line of business tend to not want to get too deeply involved. Not for ourselves but for the people we care about because at the end of the day we're all on the wrong side of the law and we can be putting that person in danger just by being with them."

Shaking her head a bit, Ariadne took another sip of her drink. "No, that's not what it was."

Hannah lifted an eyebrow at her, but instead of answering she merely lifted her drink to her lips and motioned for Ariadne to continue. "He's not involved with this line of work, he was my mentor at uni."

Hannah's eyes widened a bit and Ariadne knew then that she believed her because it was a firm reason to be uncomfortable giving away his true identity. "Now that's an interesting twist."

Ariadne shrugged, "Yes, I suppose it would be for someone who doesn't know the story. He was wonderful, if not a little withdrawn. He didn't smile often but I knew the first time I made him smile, I had to do it again. It was one of the most wonderful things I'd ever seen. I suppose that's where it started, with a smile."

Ariadne frowned and downed the rest of her drink before motioning for the waiter to bring her another. Hannah had a soft smile on her face, "That's awfully romantic."

Instead of replying, Ariadne glanced around and waited for the waiter to bring her drink. When he did, Ariadne turned her attention back to Hannah. "It was, in the beginning, but I think it was more one-sided then anything else. He was attracted to me but knew it wouldn't go very far."

"So how far did it go then?"

Ariadne sighed, lost for a moment in the better memories before shrugging. "Too far, too quickly and it ended just as quickly. Obviously it meant more to me then to him and he said as much before walking out of my life."

Hannah frowned, "Prick." She raised her glass, clinking it with Ariadne's before drinking some of it. "Must be a bit more then that, if you're still hung up on it."

"There isn't enough alcohol in the world for me to finish that story in any more detail." Ariadne answered honestly because no one knew her secret not even Arthur and she planned to keep it that way. With a sigh, she sipped her drink some more before putting some money on the table. "I'm sorry to cut this short but I need to get back to my hotel and get a good nights sleep before I start working tomorrow."

Hannah nodded and put some money down for her own drink before standing and following Ariadne out to the parking lot. After giving her a ride back to her car which was parked near the warehouse, Hannah waved good night to her and drove off. Ariadne slipped into her car and began driving around the city. Making sure to drive far more then was necessary to spot yet another run down motel, she pulled in and rented a room for the night before dragging her luggage into her room. Locking the door behind her she stepped out of her shoes and collapsed on top of the bed.

It was somewhat nice to talk about what had happened with Arthur even if she hadn't divulged the real truth. It was relieving in a way because she'd played it so close to the chest for so long that it was like a breath of fresh air. Maybe she would be able to move past this and put it behind her, that is if Arthur stopped popping up at the most inconvenient times.

With a sigh she fell back and closed her eyes, falling to sleep without even changing her clothes. She woke up several hours later, feeling a little groggy but the taste in her mouth pushed her to get up and stumble to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She shimmied out of her pants before walking back into the main room only to stop and stare at the figure standing by the window. It was impossible to ignore the imposing figure and instead of saying anything she dove for her purse.

His laugh rang out in her ears, "Don't bother I already pocketed it."

Ariadne stood and without saying a word sat on the bed, with her back to the wall, crossing her legs at the ankles. "What is it you want now?"

He turned slowly, his eyes roving over her form slowly. She could see the lust filling his eyes even in the dim light but she did nothing to cover up. "Tell me what your planning, little one, and maybe I'll let you live."

A light laugh spilled from her lips, "Kill me then."

He slipped his suit jacket off and laid it over the back of the chair near the window before removing the gun from it's holster at his side. "There's so many other things I could do to you instead."

He laid the gun down on top of his jacket and turned back to Ariadne to see her smiling sardonically, a small berretta pointed at his head. "Thinking with the wrong head, aren't you Arthur?"

Arthur scowled deeply and tucked his hands into his pockets. "I was thinking you would tell me what I need to know so that neither of us have to do something that we really don't want to."

"Who says I don't want to?"

It was Arthur's turn to smile wickedly at her, "It all started with a smile…"

Ariadne didn't bother to bite back the growl that escaped her lips. "That was a private conversation."

Arthur took a step towards her but stopped when she cocked the gun, "Ariadne I think it's time we discussed things."

"Really? Because I think it's time you bowed out gracefully before you wind up missing a precious part of your anatomy."

Before she could say another word he dove for her and the gun went off, he fell to the side of the bed gripping his arm. She cursed under her breath and sprang into action. Ripping her shirt off she dusted the room for prints and pulled on her slacks before pulling her shirt back on and grabbing her toothbrush and other belongings, tossing them into the open suitcase along with the gun. Zipping it closed, she grasped it in one hand and tucked Arthur's in the back of her pants before tossing his jacket over her arm and dashing to her car, throwing everything in the back seat. Going back to the room she grabbed her purse, car keys, and room key.

Looking at Arthur, who looked dazed and she wasn't surprised with the amount of blood flowing from the wound in his right bicep. Glaring at him, angrily she wrapped his good arm around her shoulders and helped to drag him to her car. She practically threw him into the passenger seat before slamming the door and getting into the drivers seat. After starting the car, she pulled out and sped away from the hotel. She refused to look at Arthur who she knew as studying her curiously.

She had no idea what she was doing, she should have left him there but for some reason she couldn't leave him to deal with whatever repercussions would have come with that. She came across another motel, not quite as shabby as the last but more removed from general population. Once she stopped the car, she looked at Arthur. "I'm going to get a room, you can either leave or I'll patch you up once we're inside and you can leave then."

Ariadne didn't wait for a response, but took the keys and stepped out of the car. She pulled the shirt over the gun to hide it and walked into the office, renting a room under a different name. Once she'd paid for it and been given the key she walked back to the car. She was a little surprised to find that Arthur was still sitting in there, but she hid it well. Driving towards the door that sported the number she'd been given she parked the car and stepped out grabbing her bag from the bag seat.

Once she shut her door she walked over to the motel door and opened it, inwardly cursing herself the entire way. What was she doing? It was like she couldn't stop herself from putting herself in dangerous situations. With a sigh she walked back to the car and saw Arthur standing. She walked over and shut the door behind him before locking the car and helping him inside towards the bed.

Gently, she pushed him down onto the bed before turning and walking to her luggage to pull out the first aid kit inside. Luckily, she'd carried them with her since she'd been injured shortly after a job. It was much neater then going to a hospital. She pulled out the bottle of whiskey she'd stored in the bottom for such occasions and handed it to Arthur.

He pulled off the cap with his good arm and took a long swig as she pulled the gun from her back and placed it on the table out of his reach. She could tell he followed her with his eyes as she set the first aid kit down on the bed next to him. Opening it she pulled out the thread and needle she'd placed in there along with some antiseptic to clean the wound.

Glancing up at Arthur, she met his eyes hesitantly and found him staring her at her. "Take your shirt off," She said quietly, not letting any emotion cross her face and keeping her eyes closed off. She couldn't let him get under her skin again or it would mean the end of her and everything she was trying to do.

Arthur studied her for a moment longer before nodding and removing his shirt. When he winced trying to get it over his wound she helped him out of it as gently as possible. "Why are you helping me? You did shoot me."

Ariadne scoffed quietly, "You instigated it. Besides I couldn't leave you there to the police. If anyone's going to hurt you, it's going to be me."

She didn't have to look at Arthur to know he was smirking at her and it was positively infuriating. She soaked a cotton ball in the antiseptic and pressed it against his wound a little harder then necessary and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath. Ariadne continued cleaning the wound but was more gentle then before. Once that was through she pulled out a lighter and sanitized the needle with the flame before lacing the thread through it.

Ariadne spared a glance at Arthur's face before she began undoing his belt. His eyes widened a fraction of an inch before stilling her hand with his good one. "I'll take care of it." He pulled the belt from his waist and placed it in his mouth, clenching down.

Ariadne lifted her hand to his wound and squeezed the two ends of his wound together and began stitching it together. Luckily for them both the bullet had gone right through. She moved to sit behind him when she was done with the front of the wound and stitched that up as well. Arthur barely made a sound but she heard a grunt or two. Once she was done stitching him up she grabbed the antiseptic and a new cotton ball and cleaned both sides of the wound again as he pulled his belt from his mouth.

"You know that suit was Armani and you ruined it."

Ariadne snorted as she stood and grabbed the trashcan to clean up everything she'd used, "I'm sure you've got at least another hundred laying around somewhere to take it's place." Grabbing a few pieces of gauze she taped it over the wound before packing away her first aid kit and placing it in her suitcase. Glancing up, she saw he hadn't moved so she reached for his gun and removed the cartridge from the gun and shot from the chamber.

Setting it back down, she popped all of the bullets out of the cartridge before placing them in her suitcase. Turning back to Arthur, "You're free to leave."

"Who says I'm leaving?" Arthur gave her a cocky smile and leaned back on his good arm.

Although she'd avoided it before she couldn't help but admire the changes to his body in the past two years, he was still lean but far more muscled then she remembered and she felt her mouth go dry at the image. Licking her lips slowly, Ariadne moved her gaze up to his face, "What do you want?"

He moved so quickly, she would've thought he'd never been shot to begin with. He stood and wrapped his good arm around her waist pulling her flush against his body. "When did you grow up, little one?"

She stiffened and craned her neck to look up at him, seeing his eyes full of lust for the second time that night. "Apparently when you weren't looking."

He lowered his head and rubbed his face in the crook of her neck. "You're sexy when your angry. I never thought you'd shoot me." A laugh bubbled from deep in his throat, "Or that you'd then take the time to patch me up. Still full of puzzles, aren't you?"

Ariadne, knew the moment she lost herself in his embrace and although part of her was cursing her for doing so she couldn't help it. She relaxed against his touch and moved her head slightly to turn into his touch. Her hands seemed to have minds of their own as they ran over his chest. He kissed her neck slowly, teasing her into submission. It wasn't necessary, but he didn't need to know that.

He moved backwards, pulling her with him so that he could sit on the edge of bed. He pulled her with him and she crawled onto his lap, straddling him while at the same time managing to avoid his injury. Arthur pulled back to study her face for a moment before leaning forward once more but to press his lips against her own. It was a hungry kiss and it took only a moment for her to respond and part her lips to grant him entrance.

She moaned as his tongue moved against her own, fighting for dominance. One of her arms wrapped around his waist as the other tangled itself in the hair at the nape of his neck. His own had long since found their way beneath her shirt and were running along her spine. She moaned softly into his mouth and he smiled against her own when he heard the sound. He flipped them so that she was lying beneath him on the bed and his hands moved to roam over her chest as she wrapped her legs tighter around his waist.

Ariadne could feel him hardening against her and she rubbed herself gently against him. The muffled groan from deep in his throat proved to her even more that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. He pulled back, his eyes darkening as they stared down at her, "Oh Ari, come away with me. Let's leave tonight."

She stiffened and quickly pulled her legs from around his waist before pushing them against his torso and sending him crashing to the floor. Standing, she ran towards her bag and pulled out her berretta, pointing it at his crouch. His eyes widened and he scrambled to get to his feet. "Get the fuck out," She growled.

He raised his hands, clearly surprised by her reaction. "Ariadne, please don't do this."

She cocked the gun, "I already shot you once tonight don't think I won't do it again. Only this time I'll leave you to clean up after your own mess."

He grabbed his shirt and jacket and walked towards the door, his face tightening. "I don't know why you can't accept this for what it is."

"I have, that's the problem. I'm not going to fall for your shtick again. You can't convince me to leave by trying to seduce me."

Arthur shook his head but pulled the door open and walked out. Ariadne walked over and locked it before sliding the desk in front of it for extra security. She dropped the gun to her side and sank to the floor, finally letting a few tears escape her eyes. How could he do this to her again? He had no emotions whatsoever. What kind of man seduced a woman merely to get what he wanted? Well, she was done pining over something that never existed. She needed to finish this job and get out of here. Go somewhere even Arthur wouldn't think to look for her.

Wiping her eyes she climbed into bed and decided to take George up on his offer for dinner. She'd warn him she wasn't in it for emotional attachments and if he was still interested she'd even let him take her home with him. Hell, it might be safer then checking into a place by herself. Obviously Arthur had no trouble tracking her down in this city. She knew she wasn't going to get any sleep so she instead stepped into the bathroom and began getting ready for the day.

Although it was only three in the morning, she figured she'd probably get to warehouse around five and she could continue working on the second level. She wanted to finish it by the end of the week, so that she could get the hell out of dodge.


End file.
